Warp Zoned Presents
Video Game Canon- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
- 2025 GOTY Scoreboard: In Progress
- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
- Clair Obscur Completes the Sweep by Winning “Best Game” at 2025-2026 BAFTA Games Awards
- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
Warp Zoned Presents
- Video Game Research Library
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
Author: John Scalzo
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls announced
The defeat of Diablo, Lord of Terror, should have given rise to an age of hope. Instead, it has drawn out a shadowy being of immense power, whose malevolent purpose is yet to be revealed.
And so Blizzard is ready to announce the first expansion to Diablo III… Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. As with all expansions, Reaper of Souls promises to make Diablo III a bigger and better game due to the addition of new monsters, new quests, new spells and abilities, and “substantial updates to the loot experience.”
Reaper of Souls will also add a new character class, the Crusader, and increase the Level Cap to 70. According to Blizzard, the Crusader is a “warrior of righteousness” and a “natural walking tank.” In other words, he kicks ass for the lord. Finally, the expansion will add two Challenge Modes to Diablo III: Loot Runs and Nephalem Trials.
Reaper of Souls’ story links back to the defeat of Malthael in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. The fallen angel has obtained the essence of Prime Evil and it’s up to you to stop him. For now, he will bring his brand of evil exclusively to the PC in 2014 as Blizzard isn’t ready to bring Reaper of Souls to consoles just yet.
Blizzard will reveal more about Reaper of Souls at BlizzCon and in the coming months. For now, be sure to check out the gameplay trailer above and the opening cinematic after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Diablo III, Gamescom 2013
Minecraft is also coming to PS3 and Vita
Sony is very excited that Minecraft will be released for the PS4 during the system’s “launch window” this year. But, according to Minecraft creator Markus “notch” Persson, it’s also coming to the PS3 and Vita:
PS4, PS3 and Vita
— Markus Persson (@notch) August 20, 2013
It’s unknown if the PS3 or Vita version will be available this Fall, but I would be surprised if they weren’t.
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Gamescom 2013, Minecraft
XBLA Today: Flashback
Back in 1992, the sci-fi platformer Flashback won over legions of fans due to its stylish graphics and fantastic gameplay. Paul Cuisset, one of the original developers behind the game, enlisted his new team at VectorCell to produce a high definition remake of Flashback and the resulting game is now available to download from the Xbox Live Arcade. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), the Flashback remake is the latest addition to Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion.
Take on the role of Conrad B. Hart of the G.B.I. and uncover a vast and deadly alien conspiracy that threatens everything it means to be human. But before you can save the human race you must rediscover who you are, as you desperately search for the missing data files containing your memory to piece the puzzle together. 20 years after the original game’s launch, Conrad is enlisted back to active service for the triumphant return of one of the best adventure-action games ever created. It’s Flashback re-imagined by its creators.
Flashback will also be available on PC download services and the PlayStation Store later this Fall.
Gran Turismo 6 will be released on December 6
Don’t throw out your PS3 just yet, Sony has announced that Gran Turismo 6 will be available in stores on December 6.
The publisher has also announced that the game will be supported throughout 2014 with the “Vision Gran Turismo” DLC project. “Vision Gran Turismo” will bring futuristic concept cars to Gran Turismo 6 as DLC through a unique partnership with design teams from 18 automotive manufacturers and design houses. The full list of design teams creating “concept models [with] a unique insight into the future of the automotive sector” are Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Bertone, GM Design, Honda, Infiniti, Italdesign Giugiaro, JORDAN Brand, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Nissan, Peugeot, SRT(Chrysler), Volkswagen and Zagato.
Best of all, the “Vision Gran Turismo” DLC will be available for free to all owners of Gran Tursimo 6.
Posted in News, PS3
Tagged Gamescom 2013, Gran Turismo 6
PS4 launch window lineup includes 15 Blu-ray and 18 downloadable games
We know now that the PlayStation 4 will be released in North America on November 15. But would you also like to know what games you’ll be able to play on it?
Sony has announced that 33 games will be released during the next-generation system’s “launch window,” which stretches from November 15 through December 31. Sony’s DriveClub, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and Knack are all scheduled to be released by the end of the year alongside third-party titles from Activision, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft. In total, 15 PS4 games will be released as Blu-ray discs in 2013.
A number of PlayStation Store-exclusive titles, 18 in all, will also be released during the “launch window.” Jonathan Blow’s The Witness won’t make it out in 2013, but Minecraft, N++, Flower, and many others will.
The PS4’s complete “launch window” lineup can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Gamescom 2013
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 whips its way into stores on February 25
Everyone expected Konami to officially push Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2‘s release into 2014 eventually and they’ve done just that at this year’s Gamescom expo. Dracula’s modern day epic will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on February 25 in North America, February 27 in Europe, and February 28 in the UK.
Developer Mercury Steam has always claimed that Lords of Shadow 2 would be the finale for their take on the Castlevania mythos. And with the addition of open world gameplay, new weaponry, and a wider range of demons to slay, they plan to make their mark on a video game landscape that will now include the PS4 and Xbox One.
“[N]ow we come to the conclusion of the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow story,” said Producer Dave Cox. “As such, we have gone all-out to create a fitting climax to one of the most warmly-welcomed series resurrections to date. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is bigger, more epic and more challenging – and tells a tale that will live on in video game lore forever.”
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Gamescom 2013
The criminals have “Nowhere to Run” in the latest Batman: Arkham Origins trailer
Batman wasn’t always The Dark Knight. In the beginning he was, in Alfred’s words, “a young man with a trust fund and too much anger.” But Batman: Arkham Origins wants to tell the story of how the brash and reckless Caped Crusader became the World’s Greatest Detective. It wants to tell the story of Jim Gordon coming to terms with Gotham’s need for a nighttime protector. And it wants to tell a ripping yarn about Batman battling eight assassins on Christmas Eve. I think this new trailer, released to coincide with this year’s Gamescom event, makes the case that it does.
“I am the reason the criminals breath easier when the sun rises.”
Tell him, Batman! The trailer, titled “Nowhere to Run,” also introduces us to another assassin, Firefly, and the delves into the Batcave for the first time. Developed by WB Games Montreal, Batman: Arkham Origins will be released for the PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360 on October 25.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360
Tagged Batman: Arkham Origins, Gamescom 2013
Saints Row IV, The Bureau, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, more added to PS Store
It’s another big week for the PlayStation Network as the majority of this week’s retail releases also found their way onto the PlayStation Store.
Volition’s Saints Row IV leads off the craziness and its joined by another title on the PS3 that focuses on an alien invasion, 2K’s The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. There’s no aliens for Sam Fisher to fight in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (at least, I don’t think), but he makes his return to the PS3 as well. Finally, Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers, a budget aerial combat sim, is new to the PS3 section of the Store.
Gamers interested in quirkier fare who also have an interested in PSN/Vita Cross-Buy titles would do well to check out the one-on-one fighter Divekick and the puzzler Ms. Germinator. Speaking of the Vita, The Walking Dead: The First Season shambles onto Sony’s handheld this week.
Finally, a pair of PS2 Classics, Kessen III and Naval Ops Commander, round out this week’s new additions to the PlayStation Store.
More information about all of these titles can be found after the break. And if you’re interested in a rundown of this week’s new game add-ons, that’s available at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, Vita
Tagged Divekick, Saints Row IV, The Walking Dead, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist, XCOM